1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to box erecting machines and, more particularly, to a moveable tape head for a box erecting machine. Specifically, the invention relates to an adjustable tape head that can be horizontally moved between an operational position internal to the box erecting machine operationally and adjustably aligned with the box folding structure and a loading position outside the perimeter of the box erecting machine to facilitate replacement of the tape roll.
2. Background Information
Essentially all commercial goods travel through commerce enclosed in some type of packaging. Among the most common types of packaging are boxes (also referred to as carton or cases) of a rectangular solid shape and that are typically manufactured of corrugated cardboard. Such boxes are of innumerable shapes and sizes suited to the specific needs of the packaging application. One such type of box is a parallelepiped carton with inward-turned flaps on at least the bottom thereof.
Unassembled parallelepiped cartons are typically cut from a single sheet of material and then formed into a generally tubular configuration having four sides. Each side terminates with a top flap and a bottom flap at opposed ends thereof. The top flaps and bottom flaps are folded inwardly and sealed to form top and bottom sides, respectively. Such boxes are typically shipped from a box manufacturer in a flat configuration as blanks and must be assembled into a three-dimensional box prior to use. Such assembly can be by hand or through the use of a box erecting machine.
The flaps of a box are designated in the art as "major" and "minor" depending on their relative length. For instance, in a parallelepiped box having a length, a width, and a height, with the length and width being unequal, the major flaps are the two opposed flaps lying adjacent the longer of the length and width, with the minor flaps being the flaps adjacent the shorter of the length and the width. While many parallelepiped boxes contain bottom-forming flaps and top-forming flaps, some parallelepiped boxes contain only bottom-forming flaps, with the fully assembled box having an open top.
Parallelepiped boxes are assembled by first drawing the unassembled, flat box into a generally tubular rectangular shape. The minor flaps are each folded 90 degrees inward, with the major flaps then being folded 90 degrees inward and over the minor flaps. The flaps are then sealed in place using glue, adhesive tape, gummed tape, or other such materials that are known and understood in the relevant art.
The bottom flaps of a parallelepiped box often are fully assembled first with the top flaps being left open or unassembled so that the box can be filled with the appropriate contents. After the box has been filled, the final step is to fold and seal the top flaps of the box. The top flaps are sealed in a manner similar to the sealing of the bottom flaps, i.e., folding the minor flaps 90 degrees inward, folding the major flaps 90 degrees inward and over the minor flaps, and then sealing the major flaps in position with glue, adhesive tape, gummed tape, or the like.
Such operations often are performed as part of an assembly line operation with the unfolded boxes being loaded into a magazine, each box being opened in turn and the bottom flaps thereof sealed to form a bottom. The boxes are then appropriately filled and the top flaps thereof sealed.
When adhesive tape is utilized to seal the flaps of the box, the tape is typically delivered from a large roll attached to a tape head of the type known and understood in the relevant art. Inasmuch as the tape is consumed from the roll, such rolls of tape require periodic replacement. Such replacement can be both time consuming and expensive inasmuch as the assembly line typically must be cleared prior to replacement of the tape roll. Thus, the need exists for a taping mechanism for a box erecting machine wherein the tape roll can be easily replaced with a minimum of downtime and effort.
Box erecting machines of the type described above are rather complex and expensive machines that are permanently installed in production lines and are capable of being set up to assemble boxes of different sizes. Such machines typically contain adjustable guide rails that maintain the boxes in proper orientation over the folding and taping structures of the machine.
One such type of box erecting machine utilizes a stationary guide rail and an adjustable guide rail that is adjusted to correspond with width of the box being assembled. As is understood in the relevant art, the major flaps of a box are taped, typically in a single operation, at the center of the box width. When the adjustable side rail is adjusted to accommodate a box of a different width, the center line of the box where the folding and taping operations occur is shifted laterally. Thus, a box erecting machine having a fixed guide rail and an adjustable guide rail must additionally contain an adjustment system that permits the box folding and taping structures to correspondingly move with the center line of the box.
One reason for designing machinery to contain a fixed guide rail and a moveable guide rail with correspondingly moveable box folding and taping structures is to permit the boxes, as they are assembled, to travel along a fixed, constant "index" line. Inasmuch as the boxes are assembled for the purpose of carrying goods, the goods must, at some point, be loaded into the boxes. Boxes traveling through a production line along a fixed index line are more easily filled than boxes that are delivered centered along a conveyor system because such centered boxes typically require a longer reach by the individual who loads or the machinery that loads the box. Cartons traveling along a common index line can be filled directly from the index line with minimal reach and minimal wasted effort. Additionally, the use of a common index line for filling boxes expedites the setup of automated machinery used to fill the boxes.
One type of box erecting machine known in the art is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,326 to Marchetti. The machinery disclosed therein permits boxes to be assembled, but does not provide for the assembly and delivery of boxes along a common, fixed index line. Thus, while the invention disclosed in Marchetti can assemble boxes of different widths, Marchetti does not disclose an invention that can assemble boxes of different widths and deliver the boxes along a common index line. Moreover, Marchetti discloses a box sealing structure that is upwardly removable from a box erecting machine requiring maintenance or reloading to be performed while reaching and leaning over the machine.
Other box erecting machines share this drawback. The tape heads are often tucked under the assembly line and are difficult to reach by a person changing the tape roll. The person changing the tape roll is often uncomfortable and off balance, conditions that increase the risk of injury or harm to the machine and to the person.
An improved device overcoming the limitations of other devices known in the art would preferably include a tape head mechanism that is horizontally adjustable to correspond with boxes of different widths and is horizontally removable from the box erecting machine for replacement of the tape roll. Such a device would then allow the tape head mechanism to be readily and automatically alignable with the box folding structures of the box erecting machine. Thus, the need exists for a box erecting machine that can assemble boxes of different widths and deliver the boxes along a common index line with the tape roll of the machine being readily replaceable by the user.